How Massachusetts General Hospital Improved Capacity, Flexibility, and Security with XT Automated Dispensing Cabinets | Case Study

Massachusetts General Hospital

Customer Profile

The No. 2-ranked hospital in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Massachusetts General Hospital has 1,035 beds, a Level I trauma center, and patients who seek care from across the globe. It's the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and houses the most robust hospital-based research program in the U.S.

Location

Boston, Massachusetts

Challenge

Approaching storage capacity limits in automated medication cabinets
Desire for greater security
More storage flexibility

Solution

Omnicell XT Medication Dispensing System

Impact

6.6 million doses per year from XT cabinets
99.99% cabinet uptime
20–30 minutes average swap time for new XT cabinets, after preparation
Increased capacity and efficiency
Enhanced security

The Challenge

Mass General had been successfully using Omnicell's G4 Automated Dispensing Cabinets for nearly a decade, dispensing 80% of its medication doses via 260 cabinets. But with many of those cabinets nearing capacity — and the end of their lifespan — the hospital wanted a new solution. The team's needs: greater capacity, flexibility, and medication security.

The Solution

The hospital upgraded to the Omnicell XT Automated Dispensing Cabinet System. Soon after the XT cabinets were installed, nursing and pharmacy began realizing greater efficiency and other benefits: larger capacity to prevent stockouts, greater flexibility to optimize cabinet inventory levels, real-time use data updates sent to the cloud, metal locking lid drawers that enhance security, and reliability that supports uninterrupted patient care.

"Our hospital is so big, it takes us a while to get from our pharmacy to even the closest floors, and the elevators are slow," explained Benjamin Pennell, Manager of Central Pharmacy Operations. "That's why we rely so heavily on our Omnicell cabinets. We try to maximize the meds in our cabinets so nurses have what they need close by."

The Impact

After preparation, the pharmacy team was able to replace existing cabinets with the new XT cabinets, averaging between 20–30 minutes each. The greater capacity allows for storing more items to prevent stockouts and accommodates larger items — enabling the team to take greater advantage of its 503B partnership and store more compounded medications with longer beyond-use dates (BUDs). With the XT's wide range of drawer and bin sizes, a drug can now be stored in a single large bin rather than across several small ones.

Because XT cabinets can provide near real-time data to the cloud, the team also plans to take advantage of the Omnicell One intelligence solution for medication visibility, insights, and workflow recommendations to optimize par levels and reduce risk of expiring medications. "We've been live now for almost a year, and the XT cabinets have worked really well; they've been very reliable. That helps me sleep at night," said Pennell.

Visit Omnicell.com/XT to learn more today.